Ch.39

But after a moment of indecision, Evander looked down the path. Maybe he could find someone who would be willing to help him. It wasn't fair, especially since he had helped Rozalia escape from the beast. And he really thought she might be able to figure out something about the orcs‌—something that could save their lives.

Although the half-elf had been forced to abandon his weapon, he'd kept his dagger close to the last bit of leather cord holding it together. Thankfully, the dark elf hadn't needed to use the knife yet, and so he hadn't noticed any damage from its constant use. Still, he hoped the metal would hold out for a little longer.

Evander watched as Rozalia continued to stand motionless, watching the other orcs, her hands clasped tightly on top of the spear. The dark elf wanted to call to her, but he couldn't tell what would happen if the orcs got too close. So instead, he simply stared in her direction, waiting patiently until the beast stopped moving.

After a few moments, Rozalia dropped the spear and stepped away from the beast. "This is foolish. You don't need to be here."

"We must continue," said the beast, not moving an inch.

Then she took another step to the right, farther into the forest. "I don't want to fight you. I wish this could be over‌—for everyone involved. But this is my only way of protecting my people."

The orcs didn't respond, content with the fact that they were still out in front of the beast. Evander figured the creature could easily kill them all if he wanted to. But before he could wonder whether the orcs actually wanted to fight, Rozalia turned toward him.

"Come here," she said. "It won't help‌—you understand. These creatures will come for me anyway. Unless you can tell them to stop? Or maybe convince them to surrender?"

The half-elf stopped there. He didn't have anything to say to that. If it had been up to him, he wouldn't be there right now. At the same time, he couldn't bring himself to abandon Rozalia. She was the only one he had to talk to, the only person he knew‌—although he hadn't seen much of her lately.

Evander looked down at his dagger, feeling the rope that held the two parts together. It hadn't frayed yet, which meant he still had a lot of hope.

Rozalia dropped the spear, turning toward the orcs. "There are more like us. Maybe the creatures from the camp aren't the only ones we need to worry about."

Evander continued watching her for a moment longer, considering the words the half-elf had just heard. Could the orcs really be the reason behind all their troubles? If so, did that mean everyone was being lied to? Even Rozalia herself might know something, assuming she knew who she was and why she'd been dragged from the camp.

"What do you think?" asked Rozalia, standing up straight while facing the beast. "How could they have survived? The only way I can see is if they found a way to defeat the creatures that attacked us."

Although Evander nodded his head, he couldn't bring himself to say anything‌—not without knowing for sure. Still, he made the decision to wait. Letting the other orcs attack Rozalia wouldn't get them any closer to discovering what was happening. And then, once he had a chance to think more clearly, he would turn to Rozalia.

There was no point in trying to help now. Rozalia had made that clear. But just as she did, Evander realized that his eyes were growing heavy, as if the magic inside him had run out.

Finally, Evander closed his eyes, falling forward until he hit the ground. Then, without opening his eyes, the dark elf stared straight ahead, waiting for the blackness to come.

***

Once the orcs had led the creature away from the fallen tree, Rozalia followed. Evander could still hear the beasts moving in the distance, but it seemed to the dark elf that they weren't heading in any particular direction. For the most part, they just kept going.

Eventually, Rozalia and Evander came to the clearing where he'd first met her. The half-elf used the darkness to hide from the orcs while they ran toward one another‌—and he tried not to think about what might happen when they finally connected again.

During the entire time, Evander stood on the opposite side of the clearing, looking at Rozalia with his mouth hanging open. But after several seconds passed, the dark elf found himself moving across the earth‌—not by choice, mind you, although he was too exhausted to argue otherwise.

"Evander!"

He recognized her voice at once. Despite what they'd been through, Rozalia seemed glad to see him again. And why shouldn't she? They did share some history together. Besides, she deserved someone who could protect her.

So what if Rozalia didn't recognize him right away? Evander reminded himself that this wasn't the same person she knew. Or maybe it was, but the half-elf didn't have time to go into detail.

The two elves quickly approached each other, Evander raising his hands up to the air while Rozalia shouted. But although she made some noise, Evander didn't think anyone was around. Not even the beasts. He figured they'd already made their way back to the camp or wherever they'd started before now.

After a short moment of staring at each other, Rozalia smiled. "That's my favorite part. Seeing you as soon as I wake up."

"This isn't the same place," said Evander, continuing to stare at her.

At last, she nodded. "Of course not. We're somewhere else now."

Then Rozalia continued talking, moving toward the trees and opening up one of the branches that Evander hadn't noticed before. The half-elf tilted his head, waiting for her to speak, but the woman remained quiet.

"What are you doing?" asked Evander.

"Looking for something."

Evander frowned. "For what?"

"It's important, so listen carefully. If those creatures had found this place, then we would have known. That much is obvious. But it's also possible that they haven't discovered it yet. That means the creatures might find it eventually‌—and be able to use it to escape the forest. So we need to stop them."

She turned to face Evander, nodding her head in the direction of the beast‌—which had begun walking away from the clearing once more. "We need to find a way to get inside it. Because if that happens, we have a chance to stop the orcs. Isn't that right?"

"If‌—and only if‌—the orcs don't know about it. Otherwise, how will they be able to reach it if we close the door behind us? We'll have no choice but to fight them all."

Rozalia kept talking. "We'll find a way to persuade them. No matter what that takes. It's only fair after all the harm they've done."

"There's always a price," said Evander. "How do you know they won't ask for something in return? How does that work exactly?"

The half-elf saw the anger building within the other elf, but he didn't flinch. "Look‌—"

"I'm not stupid, Evander. I know what's happened‌—even though you aren't telling me everything. I can see it in your eyes. And maybe you're trying to hide your anger and uncertainty because you care about me. But if I see what you're really thinking, I won't be able to trust anything else."

She opened up the branch, beginning to climb across it while keeping her balance. "So tell me. What do you think they would want? Exactly?"